Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Membership Renewal Should be More Than a Business Transaction

I recently received my first renewal invoice for my ASAE
dues and (warning: ruining the ending of the story) – I renewed.The network and community I am a part of, the
volunteer opportunities and ways to give back to the association world I have
discovered – all of it makes my continued relationship with ASAE as a member a
no-brainer.I am looking forward to receiving
what I think is one of the best examples of a membership card in the
association world – my foldout from ASAE with a trophy on front with my years
of affiliation, personalized to my membership.

So, now that you know the ending, I have to say that the
renewal process I experienced as a member was….well, not cutting edge.Perhaps it is unrealistic expectations, or
that since my track is membership I look with an ultra-critical eye, but I
think there are a number of basic lessons we can tease out of the first phase
of the ASAE renewal cycle.(I renewed
after the first phase – I know further down the line that if you do not renew
you received additional asks and person phone call follow ups.If the full ASAE renewal cycle plan is
available for member review on Collaborate, it would be much appreciated if
someone can post the link in the comments below)

1.1. Invoice first? – Ok, call me crazy, but I just
don’t keep stamps in the house.With the
way that postage continues to escalate I know I should buy some of those ‘forever’
stamps that will hold the price steady – but I just don’t have anything to
mail.My bills are online, I usually
send e-cards, and when ordering items, Amazon is my buddy.Though I know there are people who still
prefer to renew from a paper form, mailing or faxing it in, I can not believe
that this is the majority of the association population.I really believe that in today’s membership
world, the first formal renewal ‘ask’ should be electronic.I rather click through, pay through the site,
and be done in under three minutes.The
benefits to this are a win-win all around – saves the member time and
postage/finding a fax machine, online renewal should be tied to the AMS so that
upon payment renewal is immediately acknowledged, and best of all – not printing
an invoice and mailing it saves costs.Yes, if I do not renew after the first email/e-outreach then send the
invoice – but give me the chance to do it online first!

2.2. Online Renewal Path Identification (ORPI) – Ok,
so I wanted to come up with a new association acronym – but in all seriousness,
it is an important one.On the renewal
invoice I received there was information for sending it back in, and faxing it
in.There was the general association
website, but no direct url/link was given for renewal.If I wanted to renew online, I was on my own
to find the path.Granted, there is a
link from the homepage, but if the invoice is going to be sent it should be
comprehensive in providing the different renewal options.

3.3. Missing the Warm Fuzzies – While for an association
membership renewal is a transaction that is counted and depended upon for the
budget, this is not a member-centric perspective.Ideally, a member has a relationship with
their professional community thanks to the association, and the discussion of
value attributed with that relationship is ongoing throughout the year.When the time comes for membership renewal,
the ‘ask’ can start from a place of conversation and appreciation.Thanking the member for their ongoing
participation, recognizing that their affiliation with the association has made
it a more rich and vibrant community.With the help of members, some highlights of what has been accomplished,
and what the association is looking forward to in the year ahead.Then the opportunity to remain part of the
conversation and important endeavors the association and its members is set to
tackle in the year ahead – and the member can renew to remain a vital part of
that effort.I think the direct opposite
of this approach is to simply send an invoice with what is owed, demographics
to fill out and some general website information.It is a missed opportunity to remind members
of why they want to be members in the first place.

4.4. Online Renewal should have Glitter – For most
AMS it is difficult for the system to recognize the difference between
membership renewal and buying a book when it comes to processing the
transaction.I understand that is where
we are technology wise, and am ok with that for now.With that said, the screens leading up to the
decision to renew, and the automated response that is sent after should stand
apart.A purchase of a product is a
singular transaction – a renewal payment is a commitment to an ongoing relationship
with the potential for MANY purchases, volunteer involvement, etc – do we
really want to treat them the same?If
we can get the emotion into the logistics of renewing membership, and make a
member feel good immediately upon deciding to remain part of the association
then that is a huge stake in the ground when the next organization opportunity
presents itself.(Note: I did receive an
email letter to this end 8 days after I renewed)

I want to say that I think ASAE rocks – the community I have
found and the professional I am becoming because of the association is simply
invaluable.I am guessing that the next
steps in the renewal cycle are more engaging, and perhaps speak to some of what
I addressed above.I guess it is just
the association professional in me that had hoped that experiencing my own
membership renewal with my professional association would be a lesson in what
to do rather than what not to do.

There is really important and good stuff here for us—thank you! We really appreciate it when our members take the time to let us know what we’re getting right, and, in this case, where we have room for improvement. Our renewal process is something that we’ve been looking at and we can promise you that your feedback has been read and will be kept in our minds as we move through the process of re architecting that experience. We hope that next year, the renewal process will reflect some of these changes and bring a smile to your face—although we can’t promise actual glitter at this point, of course. We also thank you for your continued membership and hope we can call on your for additional input as we move through the process of revising the experience.

Jeffrey - Thank you for the reference to your post from 2010. Indeed, it seems that we are referring to the same issue - and I found the comments/discussion on your post to be interesting - some people simply want a 'bill' and don't see the connection to how that should be part of the overall connection campaign that an association should run throughout the year. Even if the bill is simple and straightforward (and ignoring the online component) it should continue an ongoing conversation of community and value that should take place between the member and association throughout the year.

Mandy - First, thank you for the really quick reply to my post - I appreciate your response, and through you that of ASAE. I think one association world universal truth is that an association is only as good as the members who belong help make it - so yes, I am sure there would be many of us who would be happy to help ASAE in reviewing this process.

And I will go with glitter optional if in its place there can be some shiny star stickers.